Birds in Winter, a review

[Brian Johnson]

Hi,

Recently I got done reading, Birds in Winter, surviving the most Challenging Season by Roger F. Pasquier. I wanted to let people here now about it since I found very interesting and thought others might be interested. Thanks David for letting me know I can post this. One thing in the book that relates to Colorado was about House Finch dominance at the feeder. It turns out females are dominant and drive off the males, especially the more red ones which are the most dominant males. Younger males have less red and are left alone by the females. It is postulated that younger males have less red so as to be able to get more food and not be driving off by the females, sort of tricking them. One of many fascinating things in this book. Below is my review I wrote for this book,

Brian Johnson,

Englewood Colorado,

'Roger F. Pasquier has assembled a vast amount of research across decades in multiple scholarly ornithology magazines to bring us a deeper understanding of birds in winter. And this research shows Mr Pasquier has taken a great amount of time and effort to bring this book to life.

When I first got the book I assumed this would be solely about birds literally in winter, such as the chickadees in my yard during the coldest and darkest months of the year. Instead as he argues ‘winter is a global phenomenon’ and looks at birds throughout the world. But he does note that Asia is primarily absent since there is still very little research in this area of the globe. Seabirds are also discussed, going into detail about their seasonal movements in the oceans.
  Each chapter gives a deeper look at something. How they react to the winter day, how they interact with their own species or other species and how mixed flocks are formed and the hierarchy that is formed. How they are affected by weather patterns is included too, including how that sometimes affects their departures for either their summer or winter grounds.
The last two chapters, conservation and climate change, take a look at how these affect birds. The conservation chapter looks at how conserving birds is needed globally, and how forest being cleared in tropical South America affects birds in North America. Climate change looks at birds that have managed to adjust their migration patterns and also birds that have not been able to adjust.
  One thing that the author has skimmed over in detail is the migration. This he has chosen to do simply because as he states in the beginning of the book this has already been covered in some depth in other books. This allows him to go deeper into other aspects of the birds’ life during the winter. A very good choice that I find helps the book stay focused on the topic and not skim on other details.
  One other topic the book addresses is the molting of feathers. What season they do this, how often and the complexity of it for some birds, such as ones that molt partially, migrate then finish after arriving in their winter grounds. Mate selection for birds in the winter months also has a good amount devoted to it.
Margaret La Farge’s line drawings throughout the book lend a very wonderful touch to the book. Her line drawings are very well done and help bring the text to life.
I strongly recommend this book to any one who wants to understand birds more. Someone looking for a light easy read might not want to pick this up. This is a seriously well researched book and not meant for a casual read. I would still recommend it if you want a deeper understanding of how birds get through the winter. A full four stars for me.'